Honda CBR150R 2018 Vs Yamaha R15 V3

Yamaha R15 Version 3.0 and 2018 Honda CBR150R are the closest possible rivals for 150cc premium performance segment. The former listed here made its official debut at Auto Expo 2018 while latter is still under the expected list of products for India. Honda has a great chance here as they could revive the CBR brand through this huge platform and bring some real competition to similarly priced bikes.

Honda has brought the quarter-liter CBR250R back and thus, chances of CBR150R’s revival are now an all-time high. Interested in getting your hands over one of them? Here are some points that could help in making a decision easier than ever.

* Design

This section is more of a personal choice but one can see that Honda CBR150R is more road-friendly in nature. R15 is inspired from bigger R series bikes and thus, hunger to take on a track is clearly seen in its design.

Shade options on CBR150R include Red, Black, White and MotoGP inspired Orange while R15 V3 is available in Racing Blue and Thunder Gray shade in India. The latter is available with every dealer while exact time frame is not mentioned by Honda.

* Engine & Performance

The last generation CBR150R was more powerful than R15 V2 but this story takes a turn with R15 Version 3.0. It is definitely more powerful than any other existing road legal 150cc bike around the globe. R15 V3 develops max. power and max. torque of 19.3 HP @ 10,000 rpm and 15 Nm @ 8500 rpm respectively.

CBR150R, on the other hand, comes with 17.1 HP @ 9000 rpm and 14.4 NM @ 7000 rpm of torque. It weighs 4 kg less in comparison to 139 kg wet weight of R15 V3. More or less, it requires an experienced rider to beat R15 V3 while riding 2018 CBR150R.

* Equipment

R15 V3 comes with LED lights, telescopic suspension and dual disc brakes without ABS while CBR150R also has the same sort of equipment options. Disc brakes on R15 are bigger and same could also be said for a 140/70-17 rear wheel of R15 V3.

CBR150R comes with better rider seat height as average Indian rider will never need to struggle for a full feet touch. R15 Version 3.0 comes with 815 mm of seat height and thus, many will leave the idea of buying due to a higher placed seat.

* Instrument Console

Yamaha R15 V3 comes with a white back-lit display that offers gear indicator, odometer, speedometer and other options while CBR150R comes with a blue back-lit digital console with an almost same number of features and different positioning of elements. Both bikes were earlier offered with analog-digital consoles.

* Verdict

First, I am not sure if Honda CBR150R will launch soon or not. If it comes at the right time, buyers are suggested to choose one of them according to their needs. Strict speed lovers who ride once a week on track should blindly go for R15 V3.

Those who ride for the leisurely purpose should consider Honda CBR150R as it offers the best power to weight ratio in the everyday rpm range. Pricing will further decide the fate of CBR150R as higher displacement products are available at impressive prices.